Mumbai (PTI): Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty hit their fresh all-time highs in early trade on Monday as investors' sentiment turned positive after India's economy grew at a higher-than-expected 8.2 per cent in July-September - the fastest pace in six quarters.

The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 452.35 points to 86,159.02 -- its record peak. The 50-share NSE Nifty climbed 122.85 points to hit a lifetime high of 26,325.80.

From the Sensex firms, Adani Ports, Bharat Electronics, Eternal, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, State Bank of India and Kotak Mahindra Bank were among the biggest gainers.

However, ITC, Bajaj Finance, Titan and Tech Mahindra were the laggards.

India's economy grew at a higher-than-expected 8.2 per cent - the fastest pace in six quarters - in July-September, as front-loading of production ahead of GST rates cut boosted consumption that helped offset the impact of steep US tariffs.

"New record highs for the Nifty appear set to become the new norm, buoyed by India’s Q2 FY26 GDP print of 8.2per cent and broad-based sectoral strength," Prashanth Tapse l, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, said.

In Asian markets, Shanghai's SSE Composite index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index quoted in positive territory, while South Korea's Kospi and Japan's Nikkei 225 index traded lower.

US markets ended higher on Friday.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 3,795.72 crore on Friday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought stocks worth Rs 4,148.48 crore, according to exchange data.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, jumped 1.62 per cent to USD 63.39 per barrel.

On Friday, the Sensex dipped by 13.71 points or 0.02 per cent to settle at 85,706.67. The Nifty skidded 12.60 points or 0.05 per cent to 26,202.95.

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New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that four to five lakh “Miya voters” would be removed from the electoral rolls in the state once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is carried out. He also made a series of controversial remarks openly targeting the Miya community, a term commonly used in Assam in a derogatory sense to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Digboi in Tinsukia district, Sarma said it was his responsibility to create difficulties for the Miya community and claimed that both he and the BJP were “directly against Miyas”.

“Four to five lakh Miya votes will have to be deleted in Assam when the SIR happens,” Sarma said, adding that such voters “should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh”. He asserted that the government was ensuring that they would not be able to vote in the state.

The chief minister was responding to questions about notices issued to thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslims during the claims and objections phase of the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam. While the Election Commission is conducting SIR exercises in 12 states and Union Territories, Assam is currently undergoing an SR, which is usually meant for routine updates.

Calling the current SR “preliminary”, Sarma said that a full-fledged SIR in Assam would lead to large-scale deletion of Miya voters. He said he was unconcerned about criticism from opposition parties over the issue.

“Let the Congress abuse me as much as they want. My job is to make the Miya people suffer,” Sarma said. He claimed that complaints filed against members of the community were done on his instructions and that he had encouraged BJP workers to keep filing complaints.

“I have told people wherever possible they should fill Form 7 so that they have to run around a little and are troubled,” he said, adding that such actions were meant to send a message that “the Assamese people are still living”.

In remarks that drew further outrage, Sarma urged people to trouble members of the Miya community in everyday life, claiming that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam”. He also accused the media of sympathising with the community and warned journalists against such coverage.

“So you all should also trouble, and you should not do news that sympathise with them. There will be love jihad in your own house.” He said.

The comments triggered reactions from opposition leaders. Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said the people of Assam had not elected Sarma to keep one community under constant pressure. Congress leader Aman Wadud accused the chief minister of rendering the Constitution meaningless in the state, saying his remarks showed a complete disregard for constitutional values.

According to the draft electoral rolls published on December 27, Assam currently has 2.51 crore voters. Election officials said 4.78 lakh names were marked as deceased, 5.23 lakh as having shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries were removed during the revision process. Authorities also claimed that verification had been completed for over 61 lakh households.

On January 25, six opposition parties the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(M-L) submitted a memorandum to the state’s chief electoral officer. They alleged widespread legal violations, political interference and selective targeting of genuine voters during the SR exercise, describing it as arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional.